She arched an eyebrow. “So basically, you’re trying not to waste people’s time.”
“We’re on this earth with limited time. It would be a shame if I wasted someone’s.”
“That’s really un-fuckboy of you to say.”
I snickered. “I’m trying to be as un-fuckboy as possible.”
“Captain?”
“Yes?”
“Can we dance again?”
Within seconds, we’re swaying again to our own kind of music.
“So this would be one, wouldn’t it?” she asked.
“Be one what?”
“A flash of love.”
I rested my chin on the top of her head as we moved back and forth. “This whole evening with you has been nothing but flashes of love.”
After our time in Wish Alley, dancing to our own music, we both realized time was running out, and it was my turn to take her to a place I loved.
“So, here’s the thing. I love a lot of places in the city, but I kind of want to go back to the beginning of the night where you and I began. I was hoping maybe we could watch the sunrise over the city on the rooftop of the bar,” I offered.
“I feel bad. I feel as if I took up too much time in the comic bookstore geeking out. Now, you don’t have enough time to take me to a place you love,” she explained.
“The places I’ve loved tonight were the ones I went with you. Wherever you were tonight, I loved it.”
She blushed, and if that wasn’t a small sample of what love felt like, I didn’t want to know what love truly was. Because the feeling in my chest was so overwhelmingly packed with joy that I thought my heart was going to explode.
“You’re such a smooth talker, Cap.”
“I think you like it, Red.”
“I do,” she confessed. “I’ve liked every single moment of the night. Well, minus the one when you got a black eye,” she said, gently touching the space around my eye. I’d almost forgotten I got my ass kicked.
Funny how she didn’t think she was the heroine of her story when she literally made me forget about my pain. Only a leading lady could do that.
“Won’t the bar be closed by the time we get there?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that. I have a few connections, remember? Unless you want to do something else to help ensure you fall in love with me. I can book us a quick trip to Bora Bora or something,” I joked.
“No.” She laughed and shook her head. “I think the best way for me to fall in love with you is just being around you.”
This time it was my turn to blush like the schoolboy I had been.
“You’re a smooth talker, Red.”
“It’s only because I want you to fall in love with me.”
Dammit, Red…it’s working.
5
Aaliyah
We stopped for coffee before arriving at the bar where we’d begun. The club was already closed, and the only people left inside were the workers cleaning up. My heart dropped a bit the moment I realized we were locked out, but it began skipping again when Captain pulled out his cell phone and made a call.
“Hey, Tommy! It’s me. Yeah, I’m outside the bar. I left my keys inside. Can you let me in?” He paused, then bit his bottom lip. He got a little shy, and that was adorable. “No, Tommy. I’m not going to have sex on the rooftop.” Pause. “I know! Okay, what about this: I’ll give you those season tickets for next season we were talking about two weeks ago.” Pause. “Yes, okay. Fine—but only if you promise to let me go to one game with you.” Pause. “Thank you kindly, sir. We have a deal.”
Within seconds, Tommy stood in front of the door, unlocking it for us to get in. “I can’t believe you left your keys here,” he said. “You should be letting yourself in.”
Captain leaned in and kissed his cheek repeatedly before smacking his bum. “I know. Stupid mistake. Thanks, Tommy!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll probably be gone before you tonight, so will you lock up?”
“You got it.”
Captain took my hand and pulled me through the now empty space. As we moved forward, it felt odd having no one around us after being in a packed room before. It was just another example of how our time that night was running out; our clock fading to black.
He took me to the office where I’d met Tommy earlier and grabbed his keys from the desk. He also grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of the door and placed it over my shoulders.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Time-out—why would you have keys to this place? And why would he let you lock up? What am I missing?”
“Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I own the building.”
“I’m sorry, what?!”
He smirked, and his dimple deepened as he took my hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
We began our hike up the staircase, and my chest felt tight halfway up the stairs. I hated how winded I got. I knew I wasn’t in the best shape, but I felt as if my heart was racing faster than normal. I took more breaks than I was proud of, but Captain didn’t judge me. When I stopped my steps, he stopped his, too.
“I need to get back to the gym,” I joked three-fourths of the way up the stairs. I rested my hand against my chest, feeling my heartbeats intensifying. Each breath was deeper than the one before. He stayed patient with me. He even slowed his steps when we moved up the stairs.
As we reached the top, we found a spot to sit, facing the sunrise, waiting for the beginning of the end of us. I tried to control my inhalations to bring them back to a normal speed. I wanted to speak, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to until
